The fourth estate
Media, Uncategorized - - Posted on March, 16 at 10:46 am by Ken L
Courtesy of Glenn Greenwald, an insight into the incestuous relationship that exists between the media and politicians in the USA. John McCain’s daughter shows her home movie of how cool it was to entertain the Washington press corps at daddy’s ranch.
In another recent post, Greenwald discusses the way the American media has lost its way:
The number one rule of the standard establishment journalist is to avoid offending the powerful because the more offense they give, the fewer favors the powerful will do for the journalists. Conversely, and by logical necessity, the more journalists please the powerful, the more favors the powerful will do for them. As Carlson put it: “People don’t talk to you when you go out of your way to hurt them as you did.” I can’t think of any single dynamic that better explains what has happened the last eight years than that one.
I’ve often mocked US ‘news’ stories that rely on ‘facts’ attributed to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. Greenwald’s piece sums up the problems perfectly.
Fortunately we still have some reporters in Australia who have an old-fashioned understanding of their profession and its responsibilities. However, they are getting thinner on the ground, especially in the Murdoch camp, and one wonders how much longer they will survive.
Even more reason for a strong, publicly funded news organisation whose independence is guaranteed both in theory and practice.
Posted in Media, Uncategorized |
March 16th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
It started in the celebrity industry. Reporters who said nasty things about celebs couldn’t get past publicists any more, so the publicity industry basically trained the more ‘respectable’ media to be nice if they wanted access for all those in-depth, Vanity Fair type pieces.
The PR industry is now so much a part of politics that the same thing applies. You end up with a situation where only the tabloid trash gutter journalists, those least respected and most likely to sensationalise, are effectively what’s left of the fourth estate ideal. Truths so important to democracy are published alongside stories of alien abduction and three headed dogs. Unfortunately they’re more interested in cellulite and sex scandals than bad policy.
Weren’t you advocating the sale of the ABC a while ago?
March 16th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I was, and still am, advocating the sale of ABC television while supporting a new, improved ABC charter.
March 16th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Whereas I am still advocating an extended ABC, more money less right wing political control for TV and radio and the extension of the ABC into direct competion with the Murdoch OO by starting up a daily national newspaper. With its existing national and internatiional news sources and access to govt advertising it would be close to profit making and would offer an alternative employment and career path to the present print oligopoly of Murdoch/fairfax/Rural Press.
March 16th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Ken, I don’t understand how you can have these two positions at the same time. The ABC is a publicly funded news organisation. Do you think it is beyond repair?
I think the ABC needs to be overhauled and there should be no more political appointments to the board. The existing ones should be removed as soon as feasible. The charter should be edited, so that fair and accurate reporting based upon facts is the main priority.
Wonder if they could produce their own newspaper?
March 16th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I bet New York Times correspondent Elisabeth Bumiller won’t be getting any chicken ribs & Hot Tamales on the “guff talk express” anytime soon…more like Tabasco in her coffee:
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=90456A63-3048-5C12-0093EBB60A801C4B
The way things are going, and if it was up to John Faulkner, i reckon the Aussie press would be kept behind a force- field until budget day…kinda like the type in the classic sci-fi “Forbidden Planet”. On that special day the Rudd camp could serve up the bbq’d ribs & sizzled rump steak of any dopey reporter that got too adventurous.
Serves ‘em right…when they serve the RIGHT.
Will that be a Sangria with your flaming journo Ms. Gillard? A Merlot with that marinated columnist Mr. Tanner? Enjoy! In moderation of course.
(thumbs up to Julia Gillard & Lindsay Tanner for interviews that “give what for”…more, more)
March 16th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
And speaking of ESTATES…perhaps it’s time our government considered re-introducing the “inheritance tax/estate tax”…considering how dire the economic situation could become…& it would be one way of ensuring that the wealthy didn’t use their families’ inheritance irresponsibly…splashing out on homes and other investment housing and driving up the price or rent for shelter desperately needed for battling families.
Considering how charitable and concerned for the plucky worker and the disadvantaged our Opposition Party front bench have become of late (I’m still having a physical reaction to their Monseñor Romero style pleas for Labor not to abandon the poor and unfortunate) i’m sure they would provide quick & safe passage for such a bill.
Then everyone could wear cool sandals & hairshirts as they kneeled before the Popemobile and screamed out in heart thudding ecstacy “No worries your Holiness…obscenely wealthy buggers are on their way out ’round here!”
READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!